In the wake of firing Marco Paddy earlier this month, Chris Getz spoke about building out a new international scouting operation as more of slow burn. Paddy ran the department for 12 years, and the consensus around the industry is that updating the department will be an extensive process.
"We’re in the works of building a new academy; more so focused on the scouting process, it’s different from what you’ll see on the amateur side, we need to make a little bit more of a comprehensive approach," Getz said. "So our focus is on building out that process, and the leadership will come once that process is built. We’re going to do that from our front office, and we’ll make a decision from there.”
Less than three weeks later, and at least one big decision has been made. As Bob Nightengale first reported--naturally--and sources have confirmed, the White Sox have hired veteran scout David Keller to head up their international scouting operation. Keller has worked previously with the Red Sox and Marlins, and spent the last eight seasons with Mets as a special assignment scout, with plenty of that work tilting over to the international side. Francys Romero suggests this is simply the first and largest domino to fall for the White Sox international department.
The Chicago White Sox named assistant GM David Keller as head to run the international scouting department as reported by @BNightengale.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) September 22, 2024
The department is in restructuring and is expected to hire a director or similar position before November.
Like Paddy before him, Keller's title will be special assistant to the general manager and he begins work with the White Sox this week. Nightengale reported that Keller will be "one of GM Chris Getz's top confidants," and since he's previously held the title of Marlins director of professional scouting, his past expertise does extend well past the international side.
In another unfortunate way the real world is not like FIFA, there is no star rating system to appropriately score Keller's experience and acumen. But for an organization rightly derided as insular, Keller is well-known and liked throughout the industry. Some league scouts have already chimed in to praise the hire, while also warning of the huge task ahead of him in overhauling the White Sox international scouting process.
But that the job ahead is onerous and potentially overwhelming is almost a prerequisite mention for any external addition the White Sox make, and they still need to make plenty more. So there's no reason for it to be a specific yoke to hang around Keller.
